The cast and showrunner of Syfy’s 12 Monkeys took New York Comic Con by storm Thursday afternoon as the series previewed its upcoming second season on the Main Stage. Premiering in April 2016, the cast revealed that the time traveling sci-fi drama will venture into new eras, face bigger threats, and promises to answer some of season one’s biggest questions.
The Workprint caught up with series stars Barbara Sukowa and Todd Stashwick to discuss the challenges of dealing with “The 12” in season two of 12 Monkeys during a press roundtable.
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The full interview can be found in the video below:
There has been a lot of power dynamic switching from season one to season two. How are we going to see these things come to fruition next season?
Barbara – Jones in the last season got pretty humbled. Her intellectual bravado doesn’t help her much when the brutal force comes in. She has to deal with that in the second season. She is confronting more personal issues, such as issues regarding the plague and time travel gets more important. It’s personal issues that come up really strongly for her. She really has to go to the bottom of why she is doing this mission.
Todd – The apocalypse makes for strange bedfellows. For Deacon he ended season one going into it and I think halfway into the season finale he realized “maybe I’m backing the weird horse. Maybe that’s not the horse to back.” I think he’s starting to see, “I may be nuts, but those guys are crazy.” I think he’s got to choose a side, he’s an opportunist and I think he puts more faith in humanity than he does in clay-faced people. I think he sees and opportunity to maximize the situation and he aligns himself with…… I’m trying to be so cautious. You’ll see him be just not an antagonist in season two. He’ll find himself more of an ally at times. It doesn’t mean they have declawed him. Certainly there is a lot of baggage between him, Cole, and Ramse. There is also a lot to be seen with Railly. She brings out a different side of him. He feels like he’s going to help her survive in this environment. His relationship to Jones is different – well it evolves because it wasn’t anything in the beginning. I was just something outside of the facility.
Barbara – For Jones he was a necessary evil. It’s like an arranged marriage. They have to deal with each other and sometimes something quite good and interesting reveals itself.
Todd – I think it really allows us to explore the characters differently than they were in season one.
What is the relationship with the 12 that arrive at the end of season one?
Todd – Deacon, when he got into bed with them, which is a great visual… When Deacon got into bed with them, I don’t think he had any clue. All he knew was “these guys are going to get into the facility and then I’m going to get it for my men.” I don’t think he had any idea. He didn’t understand. He wasn’t even involved with time travel or knew it existed. Suddenly when he discovers how crazy their plot is he sees them for what they are and possibly wants to have no part in that. What you do learn in season two is that the plague was just the beginning of what their problems were. In many ways it was a small part to what they really are trying to achieve. There is something rotten in the state of Denmark. There is much to be learned about the true nature of the Witness and the true nature of the 12.
Do you know who the Witness is?
Todd – *Shouting off table* Hey Terry! Hey Terry! Do we learn who the Witness is?
Terry Matalas – This season.
Barbara – Yea at the end.
Todd – I just had to clear.
Barbara – There are such interesting concepts of time and time interacting humans that it will blow your mind.
Todd – And that is what I think makes this show so special. It also has this weird psycho-spiritual side to it that is kind of hallucinogenic, strange cult side to it and not just badasses running around with guns.
12 Monkeys returns for Season 2 in April 2016.
